Global trade is one of the fastest growing portions of the global economy. More countries than ever are importing and exporting more products than ever before. The vast majority of products are shipped in one or more types of cargo containers. About 90% of the world's trade is transported in cargo containers. Containers include ISO (International Organization of Standardization) containers, shipped by ship or train, and truck containers.
Cargo containers can contain valuable products that are easy targets for thieves. Cargo containers can also contain dangerous products that could be used for evil purposes if allowed to fall into the wrong hands. Terrorists, for example, could use a cargo container to transport explosives, or radiological material in order to attempt to disrupt the economic infrastructure of developed countries. The vulnerability of international shipping has been the focus of a program known as the Container Security Initiative (CSI) that was launched in 2002 by the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CSI addresses the security concerns of shipping by focusing on four main areas. The four main areas addressed by CSI include:
Using intelligence and automated information to identify and target containers that pose a risk for terrorism.
Pre-screening those containers that pose a risk at the port of departure before they arrive at U.S. ports.
Using detection technology to quickly pre-screen containers that pose a risk.
Using smarter, tamper-evident containers.